Wow… has it really been over two years since I wrote a blog post? Nobody out there is reaching out to me and keeping me honest here? Oh my. That’s okay though, all the internal work I have been doing has certainly kept me heads-down in many...

Our Windows Azure Customer Advisory Team (CAT) is always keen on getting more guidance out to the field and customers, drawn from the joint experiences of CAT and MCS. A 2-day “FailSafe” training course has just landed on Channel 9 and is...

The new Windows Azure Mobile Services series helps people get started with each of the Mobile Services features. In addition to the previous channel9 videos from Scott Guthrie and Josh Twist, this week 8 new getting started and how-to videos...

There is a very common question I get asked on a regular basis, and that is “How does Windows Azure determine role health, and how can I take machines in/out of the load balancer rotations?” There’s lots of information out on the web, but I wanted...

Many tutorials or operations call for the use of Windows Azure PowerShell cmdlets. Assuming you have them installed via WebPI with the latest SDK, you might have noticed the Azure PowerShell shortcut simply sets the path to the commandlet module manifest...

Been quite awhile since I blogged. I’ve been inundated with Microsoft work, having spent the last two years an an integral member of our Windows Azure ESWAT team. (ESWAT standing for Enterprise Strategy Worldwide Windows Azure Team.) Now that...

The Windows Azure Training Kit June 2012 Update is now available. The June 2012 update includes 42 step-by-step hands-on labs and 20 presentations covering the new Windows Azure features. Some of the highlights of this update include:
· 12 new...

OK, so anyone who knows me very well knows I'm a big fan of Paint Shop Pro. I'm not a huge Photoshop fan, although I like Fireworks, and some other graphics programs. See, I started out on Aldus Photostyler, and was a big IrfanView user, when Jasc originally...

One common customer request that comes in is that they would like to collect the Security Event Logs from their Windows Azure roles, in addition to their Application, System and other Event Logs, when collecting diagnostics information using the Windows...

Join us LIVE from the Microsoft Redmond Campus next Tuesday, December 13, 2011 for “Learn Windows Azure” , a FREE event for developers to learn how to get started building applications for the cloud with Windows Azure . At this event you will learn how...

Quick tip: When setting up your Windows Azure Hosted Services, if your planning on using VMRole instances, with a base image tied to an Affinity Group, make sure your Hosted Service belongs to that specific Affinity Group. I found out the...

Microsoft released a new version of the Windows Azure PowerShell Cmdlets out on CodePlex. http://wappowershell.codeplex.com/releases (2.0). To read up on the new functionality (and breaking changes), Michael Washam has provided a summary blog post: http...

I got a note today from Rob Tiffany, another one of our brilliant Microsoft Architects. (I saw another one, because I like to think I am as brilliant… [Note: I do work for Microsoft too.])
Here’s Rob’s note:
Sync Framework is...

· 16 years ago today, Windows 95 (codename “Chicago”) was launched to the world. o Windows 95 brought innovations like the “Start” button, preemptive multitasking with a new kernel, “Plug and Play” functionality, and a new file system that gave us long...

The Microsoft Imagine Cup brings together students from all over the world and asks them to use their creativity and passion for technology to help solve the world’s toughest problems. This year, more than 350,000 students from 183 countries and regions...

You can upgrade to a Windows Phone now and update it for free when the next release of Windows Phone, codenamed Mango, is available this fall. Easier to connect and share
Threads —Switch between text, Facebook chat...

The Security Intelligence Report (SIR) is an investigation of the current threat landscape. It analyzes exploits, vulnerabilities, and malware based on data from over 600 million systems worldwide, as well as internet services, and three Microsoft Security...

It's been awhile since I have been blogging... Mostly this has been due to extensive travel and customer site work over the past few months, for the Windows Azure Technical Adoption Program, and Microsoft's Enterprise Strategy Worldwide Azure Team. I...

Today is international Safer Internet Day (SID), an annual event dedicated to promoting responsible use of the Internet and mobile technology, particularly among children and youth.
Organized each year by Brussels-based Insafe and co-founded by...

Happy Holidays!
Well, my vacation time is quickly coming to an end, and soon it will be the New Year! I'm consistently asked what the default date/time sttings are when deploying to Windows Azure. It may not be obvious to developers new to the platform...

Today we have released an updated version of the Windows Azure Platform Training Kit & Courses – you can download the training kit here or walkthrough the hands-on labs on MSDN here .
The December release of the training kit includes several...

For many of you using Windows Azure, you may have noticed there is no good way to get from the new portal experience to your billing. (You may have not noticed yet, if you like to pay bills without reviewing your statements, and that's fine too.)
We...

Don't forget to get the newest SDK, packed with features, out at:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=7a1089b6-4050-4307-86c4-9dadaa5ed018
and here are some upcoming Azure bootcamps and events:
Azure Bootcamps - Sign up...

Working as a lead on the Windows Azure Testing & Adoption Program team over the last two years has been quite a lot of fun work. I have been engaging and navigating our select group of “bleeding-edge” customers through a ton of new features that have...

About AzureCAT Eric Golpe

I work at Microsoft Corporation as a Senior Program Manager (the code-writing kind) for the Windows Azure Customer Adoption Team (AzureCAT), within Windows Azure engineering in our Cloud and Enterprise division. I'm a team member of Azure Applications, which is one of our multiple customer engagement teams within AzureCAT. Azure Applications works across the entire application layer for all Azure services. This obviously includes all the normal Azure application development components as well as any open-source components running on Microsoft Azure.

My prior focus within AzureCAT was on strategic internal onboarding, to engage and strategically on-board some of our largest internal properties to the Azure Platform. Prior to AzureCAT, I was a member of the Enterprise Strategy Worldwide Azure Team (ESWAT), as well as a lead for the Windows Azure OneTAP program with Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS). My capabilities include architecting and implementing large, complex solutions, and providing direct depth and breadth expertise to customers, in a vast array of Microsoft products and technologies, with a specialization focused on our Windows Azure Platform. Some say I'm part Azure Samurai, which makes me laugh.

Prior to my career at Microsoft, I worked as an Enterprise Architect for a large, well-known international shoe company, owned my own Information technology consulting and training company in Southeast Asia for several years, was an international bakery consultant for a few years, and did some work in public safety, including law enforcement, fire service, and emergency medicine. I currently live in the Greater Seattle area with my wife and children.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about me. I look forward to hearing any comments or critique you may have, and hope you enjoy the blog!

The views and opinions stated in this blog are mine and do not necessarily reflect those of Microsoft. Each posting on this blog is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.